ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 29) – The Central Washington University men's basketball team (9-10, 3-8) yielded a 16-point lead to Northwest Nazarene University (14-3, 9-2) to lose a closely contested game 96-93 in the Nicholson Pavilion.
 
Gamaun Boykin's last second heave from mid-court just missed as the Crimson and Black now lost their third in a row and five of their last six. Jeryn Lucas led the Wildcats with 28 points on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Matt Poquette added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Marcus Austin pitched in 11 off the bench.
 
The Crimson and Black didn't score their first basket until two minutes into the contest, falling behind 10-2 early. The home team responded with a huge 27-to-14 run over six minutes to take a 29-24 lead with 11:51 remaining in the half. Lucas scored 12 points and Central made four-straight from beyond the arc during the run.
 
The teams traded baskets for the following several minutes as the pace of play slowed. The Wildcats crashed the offensive boards to earn 12 second-chance points to close the half along with eight points from Austin and five from Naim Ladd.
 
Lucas shot a staggering 9-for-11 from the field including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep on his way to 22 first half points; a season high for Central. The Wildcats took a 57-41 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
"I was really happy for him. He's been due for a night like this and he's definitely capable of that," Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. "It was good to see him get it going in the first half, it was definitely a big lift for us."
 
The Crimson and Black allowed the visitors a 15-to-9 run behind 6-for-11 shooting to open the second half of play. The Nighthawks moved the ball well with three assists and dominated in the key with 10 points in the paint during the stretch.
 
The home team responded by scoring 11 of the next 21 points behind 6-for-8 shooting from the charity stripe and five points from Poquette as momentum continued to swing back and forth.
 
The visitors turned up the defensive pressure on the following few possessions, forcing the Wildcats into turnovers and running out on the break for an 8-to-0 run. The Wildcats clung to a 76-74 lead with 8:09 left in the game.
 
"We had a lot of trouble keeping the ball in front of us in transition and in the half court," Rinta said. "They were just getting into the paint, getting to the rim too much."
 
The Nighthawks continued the defensive pressure and tied the game at 80 a minute later. From then on, the visitors ran off 8 of the next ten points to take an 88-82 lead with 3:49 remaining.
 
The home team rattled off 11 of the last 17 points scored to bring their deficit to just three before Boykin's half-court heave just missed at the buzzer.
 
The Wildcats look to end their skid on Thursday, Jan. 31 on the road against Montana State University. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.